1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a floor fitting designed to be positionable in substantially flush relation to the floor surface and specifically structured to allow exiting therefrom of both telephone and electrical power service cables which are normally housed in electrical housing conduit or race way structure permanently secured within a poured concrete floor in which the race way structure is embedded.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the construction of large multilevel buildings as well as other smaller multilevel or floor structures, the use of steel or metallic decking on which concrete is poured has come into wide acceptance and use. In such construction service cables including electrical power and telephone cables are housed within such decking or special electrical housing conduits such as feeder and distribution race way structures. This distribution assembly embedded in the concrete floor is used to place the required service cables over a floor area in order to provide adequate telephone and electrical power service outlet over the desired floor area. Electrical terminal or junction outlet boxes are interconnected to the electrical housing or race way structures to allow access to and exiting from the service cables at a given spaced apart points along the formed concrete floor area. These outlet boxes are specifically structured to protrude upwardly from the race way structures and each further includes service fitting assemblies which are interconnected to the outlet boxes and are disposed for substantially flush or upwardly extending positioning to the used or usable exterior surface of the floor.
In the designing and structuring of such service fittings many factors have to be taken into consideration. First such service fitting should be efficiently functional to allow access to the service cables or alternately protusion of the surface cables through the fitting assembly to the abovefloor service area where the service cables are utilized.
In addition such service fitting assemblies should be esthetically pleasing since they are frequently exposed openly on the occupied floor surface.
However, when considering the utilization of prior art or known fitting assemblies, certain problems exist in their everyday use. Such problems include the strict regulations or code requirements that such fitting assemblies must meet. Included in these regulations is the requirement that no liquid leakage or seepage be allowed into the interior of the fitting assemblies so as to prevent exposure of the service cables therein to any type of water. Accordingly, when cleaning the occupied floor areas each of the fitting assemblies must be sealed or otherwise closed off to prevent leakage of the cleaning or washing solution, water, into the interior of such fitting assemblies. This is especially true when the occupied or exposed floor surface is made of tile and is washable by liquid solutions. In such cases the cleaning crew or some responsible person must specifically seal or close off each of the service fittings to prevent such leakage when utilizing numerous designs presently available. This is an extremely burdensome task due to the extremely large number of such service fittings or assemblies. Commonly such service fittings are located in spaced apart relation to one another at a distance of approximately every five feet. Accordingly, it is readily seen that there are literally hundreds of such service fittings on each floor of a multifloor building structure.
In order to facilitate such cleaning services there is an obvious need in the building industry for a service fitting which is capable of preventing leakage during the cleaning operation with a minimal amount of manipulation or handling to accomplish such sealing.
Existing codes governing the structural design of such fittings allows for an upward projection or "head" of one quarter inch or greater above the surface being cleaned. When such fittings extend above the floor surface being cleaned to such an extent it is presumed that leakage is prevented from tile or like floor surfaces being cleaned.
Therefore, the structural design of any such desired and/or preferred service fittings to be such as to readily accomplish the upward or outward projection of a portion of the service fitting with a minimal amount of manual manipulation thereby taking a minimal amount of time in adjustably positioning portions of such service fittings to allow easy and fast cleaning of the floor surface being cleaned.